What's your relation with him?
Source: tatoeba (17593)
Relation
/ɹɪˈleɪʃən/
Synonyms for "relation" (303 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (61)
Noun(13 words)
associationcorrespondencerelativeassociated withbearingbearing usebearingsbelong to a familycarnal knowledgecircuit conceptclose connectioncoitioncoitus
aboutabsorptionaccordaccountadditionadjunctaffairsaffective meaningaffiliationaffinityagnationallegoryallianceanalogyancestryanentapproximationaproposassociationassociations
Show 25 more words
balancingbearingbloodblood relationshipblood relativebondbrotherbrotherhoodbrothershipcapacitycarnal knowledgecharacterclosenesscognationcoituscoloringcombinationcommon ancestrycommon descentcomparative anatomycomparative degreecomparative grammarcomparative judgmentcomparative linguisticscomparative literature
Adjective(1 words)
academic relationship
Verb(2 words)
associate withassociating experiences
Strong matches (91)
comparative methodcomparecomparingcomparisonconcerningconditionconfrontationconfrontmentconnectionconnotationconsanguinityconsequencecontactcontiguitycontrarietycontrastcontrastivenesscorrelationcorrespondencecousinhood
Show 43 more words
cousinshipcriminal conversationdealingsdeductiondelineationdenotationdescriptiondisjunctiondistinctiondistinctivenessdoingsdrifteffectembarrassmentenationengagementenmeshmententanglementessenceextensionfatherhoodfiliationforcefraternitygistgrammatical meaninghistoryhomologyideaimpactimplicationimportin relation toinclusionintensioninterconnectionintercourseinterdependenceintimacyinvolutioninvolvementjunctionkin
Noun(26 words)
concernconnect verbconnected withconnectingconnectioncopulationcorrelationcorrespondencescousindepend ondependanceentity relationshipequivalencefamily memberformulasfunctionfunction normallyfunction smoothlyfunctionshistory of computing
Show 6 more words
Verb(1 words)
establish a link
Adjective(1 words)
geometric notion
Related words (151)
kindredkinshipkinsmankinswomanlexical meaningliaisonlikeninglinklinkagelinksliteral meaningmatchingmaternitymatrilineagematrilinymatrisibmatroclinymeaningmetaphormotherhood
Show 97 more words
mutual attractionnarrationnarrativenearnessoffshootopposingoppositionovertoneparallelismpartpaternitypatrilineagepatrilinypatrisibpatroclinypertaining topertinencepithpointportrayalpositionpractical consequencepropinquityproportionproximitypurportqualityrange of meaningrapportrereal meaningrecapitulationrecitalrecitationrecountalrecountingreferencereferentreferring toregardregardingrehearsalrelationsrelationshiprelativerelevancereportrespectrespectingretellingreviewrolescopesemantic clustersemantic fieldsensesexsexual intercoursesibshipsignificancesignificationsignificatumsignifiesimilaritysimilesimilitudesisterhoodsistershipspan of meaningspiritstatusstorystructural meaningsubstancesumsum and substancesymbolic meaningsympathytale-tellingtellingtenortietie intie-inties of bloodtotality of associationstransferred meaningtrope of comparisontruckunadorned meaningundertoneunionvalueweighingwith regard towith respect toyarn spinning
Noun(30 words)
kinspersonlever interactionlinklinked tolinkingmappingmappingsmember of one's familypertinencepredicatepredicate nounpredicate wordrecountingreferencerelated torelation backrelationshipsrelativesrelevancerows of seedlings
Show 10 more words
sense of disgustsex actsexual congresssexual intercoursesexual relationsubject of sentencesyzygytellingtheory of evolutionuniversal-coupling
Adjective(4 words)
logical predicatesmathematical relationshipmathematical rulepositive correlation
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: association, correspondence, relative, about, absorption.
- Sentence evidence is available for relation, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, opengloss, wordnet, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "relation".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "relation"
Keep "relation" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "relation" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "relation", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "relation" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
25 entriesabstract entityabstractionconnectiondealingsfamilyindividualjudicial doctrinejudicial principlekinshiplegal principlemath conceptmortalnarrationpersonrecitalrelationship
Showing 16 of 25 words.
More specific
9 entriescongruencecorrelationcousinequality relationgrandparentless-than relationorder relationparentsibling
Collocations
5 entriesblood relationcausal relationclose relationfamily relationmathematical relation
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
7 entriesTranslations
32 translations across 22 languages.
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 關係 /关系 noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- 關係 /关系 noun (set of ordered tuples retrievable by a database)
Czech
1 entries- relace noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Dutch
1 entries- relatie noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Finnish
2 entries- relaatio noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- relaatio noun (set of ordered tuples retrievable by a database)
French
1 entries- relation noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
German
2 entries- Relation noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- Relation noun (set of ordered tuples retrievable by a database)
Hindi
1 entries- संबंध noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Hungarian
2 entries- reláció noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- viszony noun (sexual relations)
Iranian Persian
1 entries- رابِطِه noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Italian
1 entries- relazione noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Japanese
2 entries- 関係 noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- 関係 noun (set of ordered tuples retrievable by a database)
Korean
1 entries- 관계 noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Polish
2 entries- relacja noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- relacja noun (set of ordered tuples retrievable by a database)
Portuguese
1 entries- relação noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Romanian
1 entries- legătură noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Russian
1 entries- половы́е отноше́ния noun (sexual relations)
Slovene
1 entries- relacija noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Spanish
3 entries- relaciones sexuales noun (sexual relations)
- relación noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- relación noun (sexual relations)
Swedish
2 entries- relation noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
- relation noun (set of ordered tuples retrievable by a database)
Tajik
1 entries- робита noun (mathematics: set of ordered tuples, a Boolean function of two or more arguments)
Tamil
2 entries- உடலுறவு noun (sexual relations)
- உறவு noun (sexual relations)
Ukrainian
1 entries- стате́ві стосу́нки noun (sexual relations)
Sample sentences
24 total sentences available.
Wages vary in relation to the age of the worker.
Source: tatoeba (19522)
Indeed, some writers do not think the relation of brain to consciousness is a causal relation in the first place.
Source: tatoeba (21713)
It is important that we make plans in relation to anticipated changes.
Source: tatoeba (22641)
Showing 4 of 24 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "relation"?
Closest matches include association, correspondence, relative, about, absorption.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "relation"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.